EPA To Unveil Draft Energy Star Dishwasher Specs At NRA Show Meeting
Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program plan to present and discuss proposed specifications for dish machines during the upcoming NRA Show in Chicago. The meeting, scheduled for May 22, from 1-3:30 p.m. in Room N427A at McCormick Place, is for industry stakeholders and anyone else interested in learning more about the new specs.

If you want to attend, please RSVP to Charles Anderson, ICF International, at canderson@icfi.com. If you aren't going to the NRA Show, you can still submit comments to Anderson until June 2. For a copy of the specs, contact Rachel Schmeltz, EPA, at 202/343-9124 or schmeltz.rachel@epa.gov or Rebecca Duff, ICF International, at
202/862-1266 or rduff@icfi.com.

Comment Period Now For Alaska Food Code Change
Changes to Alaska's Food Code we told you were coming a year ago are finally in the public comment period. The changes bring the state's regulations more in line with the current FDA Model Food Code. Big changes for operators there will include new food holding temps, new labeling requirements, no bare-hand contact, nixing the use of two-compartment sinks and more.

Details of the proposed regs are online at www.dec.state.ak.us/eh. Public comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on this coming June 30. Send your comments to Kimberly Stryker, Division of Environmental Health, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, by facsimile at 907/269-7654, or by e-mail at Kimberly_Stryker@dec.state.ak.us.

Doggie Dining Up To Governor
A bill in Bush's hands are worth two in the Florida legislature. The Florida House approved a Senate bill that will allow dogs to dine alfresco with owners rather than push its own version. The bill was sent to Governor Jeb Bush for his signature early this month.

The legislation creates a three-year pilot program in which counties or cities may waive the state health code that prohibits animals in restaurants. Restaurants in those communities can then choose whether to allow dogs to dine with their owners in outdoor seating areas.

No word yet whether Bush will sign the bill, or take his black lab to lunch if he does.

Kansas Restaurant Inspections Now Online
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Consumer Health recently put all the state's restaurant inspections online. Inspection reports, which were available to the public upon request, now are easily accessible at www.ksfoodsafety.org.

The site was developed partly to help educate consumers about food safety, according to Dr. Howard Rodenberg, KDHE director. The new Web site explains how inspections are conducted and the differences between critical and non-critical violations. It also notes that inspections are conducted unannounced and only reflect a snapshot of a restaurant's food safety practices.

Louisiana Senate Okays Smoking Ban; New Jersey Scraps '25-Foot' Rule
Louisiana's Senate passed a bill prohibiting smoking in most workplaces early this month. If signed by the governor, the new legislation will take effect beginning next year. The bill bans smoking in most public places, including restaurants. Smoking would still be allowed in people's homes, their cars, designated hotel rooms, bars and casinos.

Restaurants can allow smoking in their bar areas if smoke can be prevented from contaminating air in the dining room. That could mean building a wall between the two areas and installing a separate air conditioning system. The bill also allows smoking in the New Orleans Convention Center when Mardi Gras krewes are there and during events sponsored by tobacco companies.

New Jersey, which instituted a statewide smoking ban in April, has decided against implementing a rule barring smokers from lighting up anywhere within 25 feet of an entrance to a public place where smoking is prohibited. Restaurants argued that the rule would prevent them from creating smoking areas for patrons in their outdoor dining areas. State health officials are still in the process of establishing specific rules to uphold the new law.